Snow of Tomorrow 3 2025/26 | What kind of future do ski resorts want?

November 2025. An investigation reveals illegal redevelopment operations on natural areas of the Mont-de-Lans glacier (resort of Les Deux Alpes, France)[1]. With the 148 million euro Jandri 3S ropeway due to open in this resort in January 2025, it's legitimate to question the political choices shaping the future of ski resorts. Between economic stakes, climate issues and social impacts, ski resorts are far from being just playgrounds. Skiing yes, but at what price?

Adaptation, transition, transformation, diversification... It's hard to understand what's at stake in ski resorts these days. If the question of their future is taking up more and more space in the media, but also in the daily lives of enthusiasts, it's because it raises a set of issues that are fundamental to our life in the mountains.

The following article is based on research work in social geography that I carried out this year in Grenoble at LESSEM (Laboratoire des Ecosystèmes et Sociétés en Montagne)[2], an INRAE (Institut National de Recherche pour l'Agriculture, l'Agronomie et l'Environnement) laboratory, as well as on my personal experience as a mountain enthusiast.

Olympic Games 2030? Illustration of a criticizable model?

Let's start with a current event you know well: the staging of the 2030 Winter Olympics in the French Alps. In five years' time, athletes from all over the world will be coming to take part in this gathering that was born 100 years ago in Chamonix. But behind the declarations of the Olympic Committee and the supposed enthusiasm of the French, a discontent is rising: that of associations, mountain dwellers and enthusiasts, opposed to an economic model of "all-skiing" without taking into account the climate emergency [3].

In short, snow is becoming increasingly scarce and, in these conditions, it's necessary to rethink the way we enjoy the mountains. Yet a headlong rush persists, with large-scale projects still trying to see the light of day in resorts. The example of the Parker projects in two Vercors resorts (Villard-de-Lans and Corrençon-en-Vercors, in the French Alps) has been much talked about. These real estate projects, supported by the company of famous basketball player Tony Parker, involve the creation of 1,350 new tourist beds. However, Villard-de-Lans and Corrençon-en-Vercors are two medium-altitude resorts, facing weather conditions that are not very encouraging for the future of skiing. Faced with these projects, Vercors Citoyen, a collective of over 1,650 members [9], was formed to make the voice of the inhabitants heard in the face of economic and ecological excess. After several years of debates, meetings and legal battles, the regional prefect ruled in favor of those defending more sensible practices: the 700-bed project in Villard-de-Lans will not see the light of day.

In reality, here, it's the question of water resources that is at the heart of the debate, a central issue when it comes to ski resorts. As the France Nature Environnement association reminds us in the case of the Vercors, "the increase in tourist capacity across the whole area is likely to significantly increase the need for drinking water, at times when the availability of the resource is at its lowest" [10]. In fact, water management in resorts was the subject of an analysis in a French Cour des Comptes report on ski resorts. While "climatic projections show that snow production will no longer be sufficient, in a growing number of resorts, to ensure the sustainability of skiing in the medium to short term " (Cour des Comptes, 2024), resorts are still relying massively on artificial snow to maintain their activity. However, hill reservoirs, which store water for snow guns, have a major impact on mountain life, both in terms of biodiversity (river flows, physico-chemical quality, etc.) and daily life (drinking water, pastoralism, etc.). It's clear, then, that a focus on ski resorts means examining both climate impacts and living conditions in mountain areas. Tourism is a major economic sector in these regions, but it must not be the sole keystone, relegating other essential issues to the background..

What trajectories for the future of ski resorts? The question of transition

It is imperative today to pause collectively and question the political choices being made in the mountains. This is what the French Court of Auditors did in February 2024. Its report "Les stations de montagne face au changement climatique" caused quite a stir in the mountain world [11]. The conclusions are clear: the French ski business model is running out of steam and public policies are not keeping pace.

However, on the ground, a range of players are mobilizing to propose other visions of a desirable future. On a European scale, the TranStat cooperation project (Transitions to Sustainable Ski Tourism in the Alps of Tomorrow, Interreg Alpine Space)[12] is a good example. Bringing together nine ski resorts in five Alpine arc countries (Austria, France, Switzerland, Italy and Slovenia), this international project aims to create a network of resorts in transition. Institutional partners such as INRAE (Grenoble, France), academic partners such as the Austrian Academy of Sciences (Innsbruck, Austria) and the University of Milan (Italy), as well as socio-professional players, are discussing the future of ski resorts. Through participatory approaches, they are working on the transition of ski resorts, but also on year-round life in the mountains. The stakes here are full of complexity: "Coping with the effects of climate change without having a solid reference framework within which to act"[13]. After three years' work, the project proposes to "Rethink Winter Tourism in the Alps" through policy recommendations for more sustainable tourism in the mountains[14].

The TranStat project highlights a reality: there is no turnkey solution for the future of resorts. Each territory has its own specific characteristics. As such, transition is plural and multifaceted. My final year internship enabled me to delve deeper into this subject. Through a study of the written press on 23 resorts and semi-directive interviews conducted in three study resorts (Bourg-Saint-Maurice-les Arcs, Métabief and Autrans-Méaudre, France), I identified the main forms that transition is taking in resorts today, as well as the limits to the implementation of more sustainable tourism..

And finally?

Despite the emergence of numerous transition initiatives around ski resorts, the absence of a single definition of transition complicates the implementation of changes in practices on a large scale: each territory must find its own trajectory for a future adapted to its challenges. The conclusions of my work are a reminder that collaboration between stakeholders in each mountain territory is crucial to defining a trajectory towards an accepted and acceptable future. It's a question of striking a subtle balance between tourism and year-round living, so that Alpine areas reduce their dependence on the ski economy, an economy that is increasingly vulnerable to climate change. Yet many political and economic conflicts of interest continue to hamper the coordination of efforts between the various stakeholders (public players, socio-professionals, associations...).

Let's not forget a crucial aspect of ski resort transition: financing. Diversifying activities, rethinking mobility, protecting natural areas, offering workshops and debates to raise public awareness... These are all initiatives that require substantial financial resources. The European Union-funded Interreg Espaces Alpins projects [18] provide valuable assistance in this respect, but funding is lacking at national and local levels...

One question persists in the territories: How can we replace the ski industry? This question masks the real issues of transition. The question is not to find a new industry to replace the ski industry, but rather to think together about new economic, social, ecological and resilient tourism models. Now, more than ever, is the time for us to collectively question our needs, our desires, our impacts and the future for the mountains.